It was less than a week until the new term started when they managed to gather most of the Order at Grimmauld, filling the kitchen near to bursting. The Weasley's were mostly all present, with the exception of Charlie, who had been gone for most of the month in an attempt to relocate a nest of Welsh Greens to keep them from being captured and used by the Death Eaters.
Severus was seated at Harry's side for the first time in weeks, his body tense even as he pressed his leg against Harry's as if he needed proof that Harry wasn't going to pull away. George had settled on Harry's left, uncharacteristically silent, his hair limp and dark rings under his eyes. The shop had been doing well and was one of the few places that were still open in Diagon Alley, but the twins had been running themselves ragged trying to develop anything that could be disguised as a joke but used to help the students returning to Hogwarts.
From what they'd told Harry, every day they'd sold out of their instant darkness powder, their frost gems that would encase a person in ice for a few vital seconds to allow escape and their umbrellas that doubled as quick release shields. They had gotten both Bill and Fleur involved to try and turn out more products in an effort to meet the demands of the returning students but they were barely keeping up.
The call for an Order meeting had gone out earlier that morning via charmed galleons; Hermione had carried the idea over from the DA and everyone had latched onto it. The announcement in the Prophet of the new Hogwarts Headmaster and the additions to the staff had set off a chain reaction of rapid-fire messages, ending with all the Order members that could be spared arriving at Grimmauld after night had fallen.
Shacklebolt stood at the head of the table, his dark skin reflecting almost blue in the low light of the kitchen, the murmurs of conversation softening the room to something almost cozy. Molly bustled around with a tray of hot drinks floating along in her wake. Her previously plump frame was thinner and her robes hung loose but she'd lost none of the determination in her eyes. She paused by Harry and set mugs of tea with a splash of milk in front of him and Severus, brushing a kiss across the top of both of their heads before moving on. The look of offended confusion on Severus' face made Harry snort with laughter.
"Alright, if we can get started?" Shacklebolt called everyone to attention just after Tonks and Remus slipped in, the new bands on their fingers glinting where they gripped their mugs. Harry sent a smile at them both from down the table and Tonks rewarded him with a lightning fast hair colour change, red and gold rippling in bright stripes as she grinned back.
Remus smiled tiredly and nodded to both Harry and Severus before leaning wearily against his wife. Harry had only seen them briefly since Bill's wedding, both of them too busy trying to head off Riddle's forces from opposite ends. They'd met just long enough the week after the wedding to scrap the plan for the locket since Tonks would most certainly be detained if she were to show up at the ministry. Remus had also rather shyly admitted that they had gotten married in a small ceremony a few days prior and apologized to everyone for not inviting any of them. The couple had gotten some good-natured complaints and promises of a real party when the war was over.
A shuffle at the front of the room drew everyone's attention to Shacklebolt as he moved his chair and took up his position standing at the head of the table.
"As all of you have seen by now Merek Nott has been awarded the Headmaster position at Hogwarts, which we assume is his reward for his son finding a way to get Death Eaters into Hogwarts. Additionally, Minerva has informed us that the Carrow twins will be taking over the positions of Defense against the Dark Arts and Muggle Studies Professors." Shacklebolt paused to eye the room, the undercurrent of disgust clear in his tone. "Minerva will be directing our efforts at the school, so please approach her with questions."
Shacklebolt took his seat as Professor McGonagall stood, her back as straight as ever despite the same marks of stress they all wore carving lines in her face. Her thin shoulders were wrapped in a tartan shawl, despite the warmth of the late August night.
"We have several things that must be addressed, primarily the safety of the students," she said, her lips pursed in unhappiness. "I fear that those who do not belong to pureblood families will be subject to treatment that has previously been unheard of at Hogwarts."
People shifted uncomfortably as they whispered among themselves. No muggleborns would be attending this year, not after the muggleborn registration act had been announced last week. Harry had already heard some of the stories coming out of the ministry, about how they were taking people's wands, saying that if they couldn't prove they had a magical ancestor that they weren't really a witch or wizard.
"We cannot close the school, the ministry will not allow it." McGonagall shifted her eyes to the table, glaring so fiercely that Harry was a little surprised the wood wasn't shrinking away.
A shuffle of feet came from behind Harry. "I reckon you're going to need as many people on your side as you can get," Ron spoke from his spot by the sink, his face uncharacteristically grim.
Molly made a soft noise of protest but didn't argue as she turned to lean into Arthur. Ron gave her a small, apologetic smile and shrugged his shoulders.
"I'm one of the only ones that can go, Snape was right about that. I'll be more useful where I can help protect the lower years." Ron smiled a bit ruefully "Besides you all know I'm rubbish at figuring out puzzles."
McGonagall nodded to him, her gaze softer. "Thank you, Mr. Weasley. I believe the students would do well to see those on our side still about."
"The older students who can be trusted should be given maps with all hidden routes from the castle clearly marked, should they need to remove the lower years quickly" Severus added in.
McGonagall lifted her chin in agreement and pulled a scroll from her pocket, scratching out a few notes.
Ideas flew around for the next hour, everything from practical to outlandish until McGonagall raised her hands in surrender and stopped the flow. Her hand was smeared with ink and her normally neat bun had fallen a bit to the side but she looked calmer.
"Thank you, everyone, we look to have a start at least. I'll share these with the rest of the staff that can be trusted and we will move forward where we can." With that McGonagall took a seat on a low stool by the fire, her gaze already distant as she made small marks on the parchment.
Shacklebolt turned dark eyes to Harry, who swallowed a flutter of nerves and stood to take McGonagall's place at the head of the table. The attention of everyone in the room slowly turned from each other and refocused on Harry, who was pulling anxiously at a thread on the bottom of his t-shirt and regretting not changing into something with fewer stains.
Severus raised an eyebrow at him, the slightly condescending look making him feel like he was back at Hogwarts and had just failed to answer a question to Snape's satisfaction. The familiarity of it caused a pale twinge of annoyance but settled him enough to straighten up and turn to the crowd, the flutters in his stomach dying off.
"So I know some of you know that there are a few items that we're looking for. We can't tell you anything about why or even what they are because if Riddle finds out we're looking for them it could cost us the war," Harry said. His proclamation brought the room to silence and made him feel like he was being pierced by the laser focus of the group.
"What I can tell you is that Dolores Umbridge has one of the items and we need to get it, as soon as we can." Harry glanced at Tonks, "We had a plan that should've worked but the Ministry falling has thrown that a bit off," he muttered, rubbing his hand along the back of his neck.
"Since that's not going to work we're open to ideas," he finished lamely.
"Going into the Ministry would be suicide," Shacklebolt spoke up from his spot on the low bench, his teacup almost disappearing in his large hands. "I would recommend avoiding it if at all possible. Do you know if she keeps what you need to find in her office?"
"She wouldn't." The gruff answer came from the furthest corner, where Madeye had turned a chair so his back faced the corner, despite being able to see through his skull. "She's arrogant but not stupid. Might have it at home or her Gringotts vault if it's big. If it's small she'll have it on her if she thinks it's valuable."
Harry opened his mouth to respond but was stopped by Severus, who held up a pale hand.
"Have any of you seen or spoken to Umbridge recently?" he asked.
Shacklebolt leaned forward. "I have. I spoke with her briefly last week."
A glint of excitement curled over Severus' face. "Would you be willing to give me the memory of that encounter?"
Shacklebolt looked confused but nodded nonetheless. "Yes of course, if you think it would help, but it was just a moment about pulling more Aurors to guard the courtrooms."
Severus pulled a small glass jar from his cuff and handed it to a perplexed Kingsley. The dark man swirled his wand and retrieved the memory willingly enough despite his obvious desire to question them.
Severus gave him a quick nod when Kingsley handed it over and twisted in his seat to offer the jar to Hermione. Hermione took it without hesitation and was out of the room before anyone could comment. Severus had unearthed a pensieve during their cleaning spree and after some small repairs had set it up in a small sitting room on the first floor. It wasn't as large as Dumbledore's and the memories would sometimes pause for a few seconds here and there, but it was better than nothing.
Harry just shrugged at the confused looks and returned to his seat. The room fell back into quiet conversations as they waited for Hermione to come back.
"So back to Hogwarts then? I never thought I'd see you trying to go to classes Ronikins," George teased as he forced a smile.
Ron just pulled a face at his brother. "Yeah well, can't let Ginny be the only Weasley there can I?" George gave him a rather shrewd look as Fred joined his younger brother against the counter.
"Come by the shop before you leave, alright?" Fred said, uncharacteristically serious. Ron swallowed heavily but nodded. They all knew that he would need everything he could get to help the other students and keep himself safe.
They were interrupted from further planning by Hermione coming back into the room, her eyes lit with fierce satisfaction. "We need to capture her," was all she said, but it was enough of an explanation.
Harry shuddered at the idea that Umbridge must be wearing part of Voldemort's soul around her neck.
"Right then," Kingsley broke in, his face filled with curiosity as he pulled everyone's attention to him. "Best way to get her will be outside the Ministry."
Arthur stood, drawing everyone's attention. He flushed and fiddled with the edge of his shirt before Molly laid a hand over his and stilled him. "She's on a tear about the muggle registration act. She's been overseeing almost all of the trials to take people's wands from what I hear. Could we get her to come to us?"
Several heads nodded as the table fell silent, considering.
"She spent all that time in fifth year trying to make you shut up, didn't she mate?" Ron said from behind Harry. Harry twisted around to nod at his best friend. The redhead was looking at the floor in front of him, clearly thinking.
"So what if we make her want to shut you up again?" Ron said, a smile blooming over his face. Harry couldn't stop his answering grin, even though that particular smile led to things like flying cars into a whomping willow.
"You will not be using Harry for bait Mr. Weasley," Severus said, his voice dangerously neutral.
Ron frowned and waved him away. "Of course I'm not, Harry's the only one that ever uses Harry for bait." Harry felt his face flush at that, but couldn't argue. "We put out an article. We get a hold of Luna's dad and see if he'll print it. Then, when she wants to respond we get her to come out. Somewhere she'll think is safe."
Severus blinked a bit but nodded in agreement. It was a good plan. There was very little actual risk if she didn't agree to a meeting and it wouldn't tip her off either way.
Harry smiled again at Ron, a twinge going through his chest as he realised how much he would miss seeing him every day. He knew they would need to go their separate ways at some point but a little part of him didn't think that would happen until well after school. Before everything had happened this year they'd all had plans to rent a flat together after graduation, none of them willing to be too far apart. Severus said they were worryingly co-dependent and Harry couldn't disagree.
The table fell into planning and the start of the article was written before long. Arthur stuck his head through the floo and spoke with Mr. Lovegood, who agreed readily enough. Luna poked her head in just long enough to wave to the room before she disappeared again.
Harry felt his attention melting away long before the meeting was over and his eyes were drifting closed when people finally began to leave. Severus nudged him just enough to bring his attention around so he could say his goodbyes. They'd settled on the letter they planned on publishing in Harry's name, with no real input from him. It called out the Ministry for their new policies and made specific mention of Umbridge and the harm she had done by suppressing news of Riddle's return. There were also several scathing paragraphs dedicated to her current work with the muggleborn registration committee and how she was stealing the wands of fully trained witches and wizards. The only lie they added, that she was a muggleborn herself, was buried in so many truths that it was designed to make her angry enough to respond.
Bill was planning on dropping it by the Lovegood's the next morning, in time for a Sunday edition printing before he headed back out to shell cottage and promised to update everyone as he waved his goodbyes. The last of the Order filed out, taking the floo or apparating, depending on their destinations, leaving only those staying at Grimmauld in the kitchen.
Harry found himself turning to Ron, who had taken a seat on the now empty bench across from him. "When are you leaving then?" he asked, knowing it would be soon.
Ron looked sad but determined at the reminder. "Suppose I should probably head back to the Burrow tomorrow. Need to pack and get a few things for the year. Don't know what I'll do without you around to help with assignments," he said to Hermione with a rueful smile. The smile that she sent back didn't reach the worry in her eyes.
"You'll do fine Ron. I'm convinced I've been enabling the two of you for years."
A small snort came from Severus but he snapped his mouth shut and looked pointedly down into his tea when Harry turned to glare at him.
"Alright, I'm for bed," Hermione announced as she clambered out of her seat and stretched her back with a grimace. She leaned across the table to brush a kiss over Ron's cheek before turning to do the same to Harry and Severus. Strangely enough, Severus seemed to have finally accepted his inclusion in her affections and simply tilted his head to receive the light brush of her lips while muttering a quiet good night.
Harry sighed and slumped a bit as he finished his tea. "Remind me to give you the map and the cloak before you leave tomorrow, you'll need it more than we will," Harry said to Ron as he scrubbed his hand over his tired eyes. Neither he or Severus had really caught up on sleep yet.
Ron looked a bit surprised but nodded before he pulled himself up and bid them good night. Harry and Severus followed behind, finishing their bedtime routine in a sleepy daze. Harry let himself tumble into their cool sheets and was nearly asleep by the time Severus dropped in to join him. The last thing he felt was their bracelets clicking together and the warmth of Severus' hand curling around his.
Xenophilius published the article the following weekend and informed them of a pointed visit he had received from the Ministry later that day, asking him about his communication with Harry. Luckily he was able to truthfully state that he had not seen nor spoken to Potter since the Weasley wedding. The Ministry goons left with vague threats but had no true reason to bring him in for further questioning, having been given the original letter as evidence of a lack of interview.
They were almost a week into the term before they got word from Umbridge, requesting that Xenophilius come to her for an interview to clear up the 'unfortunate misunderstanding'. If it had been anyone other than the owner of the Quibbler they would not have been able to refuse, but the entire wizarding world knew that Xenophilius was a strange but ultimately harmless man. So when Umbridge was sent a return owl, explaining that the Ministry was infested with Wrackspurts and Lovegood simply could not risk coming in contact with so many, it was met with annoyance but no suspicion.
It took nearly another full week before they settled on a midday meeting at the Leaky Cauldron, Umbridge's need to control every facet coming out when she requested the pub be emptied for their use. Their meeting was set for Friday afternoon, the second week of September and after being scheduled gave the Order only two days to finalize their plans.
Friday morning came around with little warning and far too quickly. Severus had woken up groggy after a late night spent doggedly trying to mitigate possible problems and going over the plan with the Weasley twins ad nauseam. Harry and Severus would remain at Headquarters despite both of their initial protests and would be prepared to take charge of the locket. The largest part of the plan had fallen mostly to the twins, as they were expected to be near the pub given the proximity of their store and would be responsible for altering her memory and getting her set on her way.
Granger, Lupin and Tonks left just after breakfast to take up their posts. Granger and the wolf would be stationed in the attic above Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor, abandoned after Florean went missing. Tonks had one of the most difficult jobs as she was taking the form of Xenophilius Lovegood himself. The real Xenophilius would be subjected to a fairly unfortunate number of painful hexes before being dropped off at St. Mungo's just before the interview was set to start. They had planned it without his knowledge in case he was given veratiserum. The last thing he needed was to be tied to the however brief abduction of a Ministry official.
By the time midday came, Harry was nearly vibrating with the need to do something and had taken to pacing in front of the door to the garden. They had already readied the small room in the basement and Severus had brought out the potion he had created specifically for use against Horcruxes. Just in case it was ineffective they had also fetched one of the few Basilisk fangs they had taken and had it ready.
Severus watched Harry make another tight loop in front of the doors, his gaze flicking out to the apparation point in the garden before going to the old muggle clock he'd found somewhere and stuck to the wall above the sink. The repetition was almost hypnotic. Pace, garden, clock, turn, repeat. The scuff of his trainers on the worn stones of the floor and the faint murmur of the wireless from the other room were the only noises, the house empty but for them.
Severus twisted his teacup around in his hand, his long fingers absently tracing the cartoon werewolf as it ran loops around the mug, chasing a slowly floating moon. The small drawing paused for a moment to rub itself along his thumb before it resumed its hunt, making Severus' lip twitch. He might not like werewolves but even he could see why Harry had insisted on buying the mug for Lupin, only for it to join the amalgamation of mugs in the Grimmauld cupboards.
Severus' attention was brought around when Harry deviated long enough to refill his own mug with coffee, his exhaustion long since replaced by caffeine and panic fueled agitation. The younger man resumed his route, drips of coffee following in his wake from the sloshing mug.
A completely ridiculous surge of fondness hit Severus as he watched Harry. Even like this, tense with stress and worry, running on too little sleep and far too much coffee, he was appealing. Had Severus ever indulged in imagining a partner for himself he would never have envisioned the tired, scruffy man in front of him. Harry was messy and had little patience for intellectual debate, despite his intelligence. He wore every bit of himself on his face, and Severus was fairly certain he actually lacked the ability to hide his emotions for longer than a few seconds. Harry loved the same way, out loud and without reservation, even when he had lost so many. He was categorically the opposite of Severus, but never in the ways that mattered.
The weight that Severus had been carrying for so many years, the awful secret that had grown heavier and heavier the longer he spent with Harry, it was finally gone. In its place was a raw scoured feeling, like he'd scraped something black and clinging away when he'd finally gotten the courage to tell Harry about his part in his parent's deaths. He had been so sure that was the end. Severus had barely slept in the weeks after, trying desperately to find a way to separate them, not wanting to force Harry to be tied to a murderer any longer than absolutely necessary.
Severus was still half convinced that he'd died somewhere along the way, possibly over the previous summer, because there was no logical world in which Harry decided that he loved him enough to stay with him. To try and forgive him. Severus knew the kind of man he was. He knew he had good points, that he was clever and excelled in dangerous situations. Severus was the kind of man you wanted during a war or if you were dying of something particularly nasty but when he had served his purpose he was allowed to fade back into his solitude.
No one had ever wanted Severus for who he was, instead of what he could give them. Not even Lily had believed him worth enough to fight for in the end, not that he blamed her.
Severus had finally stopped questioning it and chose to believe that Harry was more than a little mad. He didn't mind though, not if it was the sort of madness that made Harry love him.
He didn't have anything else to hide. There were no more secrets. He no longer woke feeling like a dangerous potion was hanging over his head, just waiting for the right moment to blow up in his face. A whole new type of terror had set in recently. Now that he knew his past wouldn't take Harry from him that left only the future. At least he couldn't change his past and there had been a certain comfort in that, in knowing that there was nothing more he could do if Harry left him for it. If Harry left now it would be because of something the Severus had yet to do, some mistake he couldn't see coming.
His somewhat maudlin thoughts were interrupted by the sharp crack of apparation, followed almost immediately by Granger bursting through the door that Harry had flung open for her. Her face was white and set in harsh lines as she held an exact replica of the locket they had retrieved from the cave at arm's length in front of her.
Severus had his wand out and was levitating the locket away from Granger before she could take more than a few steps into the kitchen. Her hand spasmed as the chain was tugged loose, her fingers clutching at it for an instant before she forced herself to release it.
Severus turned his attention to navigating the stairs, locket floating in front of him. It was twisting in the grip of his magic as if it was trying to break free. The emeralds that decorated the tiny serpent flashed with a malevolent light and Severus could barely believe that they had thought the decoy locket was a Horcrux. The true one bled dark magic, the shadows of the basement seeming to reach for it as they passed through the doorway of the warded room, Harry on his heels.
Lupin was just behind him, having arrived just after Granger and swung the door shut, locking them in. Severus would have preferred the wolf not know what they were dealing with, but they might need another person and as good as Granger was she didn't have the same level of experience Lupin did. Additionally, she was considerably less durable than a werewolf. What Harry lacked in practical experience he made up for in sheer brute strength.
The wards in the room activated with a soft hum and a flash of amber light. Severus placed the locket in the center of the inscribed circle and fetched the potion he had prepared. Harry and Lupin had taken up posts equal distance away from him and had shields already raised, both eyeing the now still necklace warily. Severus could feel the now familiar curl of Harry's magic twisting around him, his first fumbling attempts in the room of requirement long passed.
A short nod from the other two and Severus was casting the first in what he was sure would be a complex series of spells to open the locket. They had agreed that the best chance they had to destroy it would be if they first forced it open. A sharp violet light left his wand and struck the necklace, only to fizzle out with a small spark. Severus followed it with a delicate amber tinged spell to probe at the edges of the clasp, but it too fell flat.
Four unlocking charms and six investigative spells later the locket remained oddly inert. Severus had expected it to lash out but it remained stubbornly closed and still in the center of the circle. Harry's eyes were beginning to glaze as Severus took longer and longer between each spell to consider his approach.
"I do not know what protections Riddle placed on this. It is not reacting in the way I had expected," Severus explained, his tone troubled.
Quite suddenly Harry let his shield drop and stepped up beside Severus. "I've had an idea. I'm going to try something. Cover me would you?"
Without any further explanation and before Severus could protest, Harry stepped into the circle and hunched over the locket. Severus extended his shield out to cover the other man and stepped closer, allowing the edges of his robes to brush Harry's back.
The younger man stared intently down at the glinting emeralds, a colder and darker mirror to his eyes. Harry opened his mouth and a low sibilant hiss reached Severus an instant before the locket popped open with a soft click.
An enormous plume of smoky ash billowed up from the locket, making both Severus and Harry stumble back. Harry landed on his arse and scooted out of the circle with a strange crawling lunge, nearly taking Severus down in his hurry to get to the other side of the wards.
Glowing red eyes appeared in the center of the smoke just as it surged toward them, only to crash into an invisible wall at the edge of the inlaid brass circle. An enraged howl filled the room as the soul twisted around in its container, trying to find a way out.
Severus leaned over to retrieve his potion, ready to simply levitate it in and slop it over the whole center of the circle when he saw that Riddle soul had paused and was staring at Lupin.
"You'll kill her. You'll make a mistake like you always do and one morning you will wake to find your lovely wife torn to pieces around you." The voice was lower and considerably more human, but still had a bit of the serpent hiss of Voldemort. Lupin was shaking his head, his eyes wide and face bleached of colour as he tried to deny the fear that the soul piece was dragging from his mind.
"Ignore it Lupin," Severus ordered as he siphoned a fist sized ball of potion into the air above the bottle that held it. He began floating it toward the middle of the room and only let it jog slightly when he realised that Riddle had given up on Lupin to focus on him.
"He'll leave you. You know he will. And once he has you won't be near enough to save him. You will watch him fall and die under my wand."
Severus tensed but ignored the voice, his spine straightening when he felt the warm press of Harry's hand on his back. The red slitted eyes were turning to Harry just as Severus released the potion, letting it splash down on the last place he'd seen the locket, hidden now in the smoke of the Horcrux.
A strange sucking noise began a second before Riddle's voice started screaming. High pitched shrieks cut through the air and rang around the room, making all three of them drop to the floor and cover their ears.
The rolling smoke twisted around inside the circle, spiraling rapidly down to a point on the floor. What was left of Riddle was sucked into the remains of the bubbling locket, leaving a resounding quiet behind.
Severus rose slowly, his ears still ringing. Everything seemed brighter like the walls had been hit with a particularly powerful scorgify. In the center of the inlaid circle lay a twisted piece of metal and glinting emeralds, specks of black sludge blown around it in an inky halo. Severus levitated it into a small warded box he had kept for the purpose, sealing it once the remains of the necklace were dropped in.
Lupin stumbled past and flung the door open, dragging gulps of air in like he'd been drowning. He doubled over, his hands gripping his knees as he hung his head.
"Was that what I think it was?" Remus choked out.
Severus stepped past him, letting the cooler air of the hallway dry the sweat on his brow. "That depends entirely on what you think it was, Lupin."
Golden eyes, narrowed in frustration, peeked out from behind the folds of worn cloak that had fallen around the other man. "I think it was a piece of Voldemort's soul," Lupin hissed.
"Yep," Harry answered as he stepped out, his face nearly as pale as Severus'.
Remus took another stilted breath before he forced himself upright. He eyed both Severus and Harry for a moment before he shook his head and started up the stairs. A softly muttered 'wonderful' floated back down to them.
Harry and Severus followed, only to be brought to a halt when Lupin stopped just outside of the basement door. "How many?"
Severus hesitated but could not find any good reason not to tell him. He knew enough that they already couldn't afford to have him fall into the hands of the Death Eaters. "Three more."
Lupin's mouth pinched tight but he nodded slowly. "I'll help where I can but if I go back to the packs I need you to take my memory first."
Severus waved his hand in tired agreement, relieved that he wouldn't need to convince Lupin. The werewolf ducked through the door and back into the kitchen, heading directly for his wife. Tonks looked no worse for wear, though her hair was still the pale blonde typical of the Lovegoods.
Granger slumped in relief when Harry gave her a small nod of confirmation, her bushy hair more mussed than usual and a tear in the shoulder of her t-shirt.
"The twins are at the shop and Umbridge believes she was robbed by men in masks," Granger explained before they could ask. "She put up more of a fight than we were expecting." She ruefully put her finger through the hole in her shirt.
"And Xenophilius?" Severus asked, his eyes falling on Bill.
"Safely at St. Mungo's, well before the interview. He's in the clear."
Harry slumped down at the table, all of his frantic energy finally running out and leaving him quietly exhausted. "Well, only three more," Harry said with false cheer.
Severus just sighed.
The sound of raised voices from the kitchen pulled Hermione's attention from the book she had been only half reading. She hadn't been able to concentrate well since the night the notebook had burned. She'd gotten too used to speaking with Draco, to knowing that he could reach her if he needed to and it was jarring to have their connection severed so suddenly.
The incident with the locket the previous week had unsettled her, leaving her awake at all hours of the night, wrapped in a blanket and curled into an old armchair. In the brief few minutes that she had held the locket, it had whispered to her, filling her with the complete certainty that Draco was dead, that she would never see him again, would never get a chance to see if what they had would have lasted in a world not steeped in fear.
The voices grew louder, Harry's carrying clearly down the hall to her. She couldn't make out the words but the anger in his speech was clear. She slipped a bookmark between the pages of the magical Genealogy she had been trying to make her way through and headed toward the kitchen. Her sock-clad feet made no noise on the polished wood of the floors and she was almost to the kitchen when she heard a name that froze her in place. Malfoy.
She was through the door and crashing into the back of Harry before she'd made a conscious choice to move, her wand already in her hand.
Kingsley stood on the far side of the room, framed by the fireplace, his long robes wrinkled and his face set into lines of anger and grief. Two men she'd never seen stood across from her, partially blocked by the wide shoulders of her best friend. Severus laid a slim hand on her shoulder to steady her when she rocked back, keeping her on her feet.
"Do they know something about Draco?" she asked, her brain making the connections faster than she could internalize.
The larger man focused on her, looking oddly uncomfortable. He rubbed his neck and shot a look at the taller man beside him as if hoping he would rescue him. "Well see we ran into him a few weeks back…" he trailed off, his eyes fixed on the kitchen table where a slim Hawthorn wand rested, a spot on the handle worn smooth and shining where Draco had run his thumb over it again and again.
She didn't remember shoving Harry out of the way or how she had gotten to the top of the table. The splintering crack of the garden door shattering as the larger man was thrown through it echoed around her, her wand held in front of her like the weapon it was. She felt Harry's shield snap around her an instant before a stunner would have hit her, sent by the other unknown man.
She leapt off the table and stalked out into the garden, splinters of wood and glass cutting into her feet. The pain was a distant bite, her whole mind focused on this man who had seen Draco, who had his wand, who looked so guilty.
He was just starting to scramble up when she hit him with a simple levitation spell but aimed it into the ground rather than up. The rattle of his breath being forced from his lungs as he was pressed into the hard earth made his eyes snap wide in panic. She could hear a scuffle behind her and the sound of Harry restraining the other man made her dismiss everything except getting the information she needed.
"Do you know where Draco Malfoy is?" She enunciated each word clearly, carefully. The man on the ground nodded frantically, his fingers scrabbling on the paving stones as he fought to get air into lungs that refused to expand. She released her spell and stared at him expectantly.
"We didn't know, we didn't know he was with the Order!" The man shouted as soon as he had enough air. He raised his hand to ward her off when she pointed her wand again. "Wait… just wait. He's in the old Ainsworth Manor."
She swallowed, the awful crushing certainty of what he would say next already settling on her. "Is he alive?"
The man's eyes shifted to the side as he braced himself. "He was when I last saw him," he hedged. He looked up and whatever he saw in her eyes made him flinch. "That was more than three weeks ago. He… ah… was in a room with dementors." He whispered the last.
Hermione could feel a strange numbing cold creeping through her and only absently noticed that her knees must have given out because Harry was there and he was carrying her and had her held so tightly to his chest that she could barely breathe.
Then he was sitting with her on the couch, rocking her back and forth as Severus carefully peeled her socks off and healed the damage she'd done to herself, his hands shaking and his eyes filled with grief.
Suddenly it was too much, this careful comfort that Harry held her with and the pain etched across Severus' face. He couldn't be gone. He couldn't leave her like that. He promised he would be there at the end.
She struggled out of Harry's grip and fled up the stairs to her room. She threw on a pair of trainers, not bothering with socks, and stopped just long enough to tie her hair out of her way before she was back down the stairs, rushing past the confused faces of Harry and Severus.
Kingsley was still in the kitchen and moved rapidly out of her way when she threw the door open. Tonks and Remus had joined him at some point and stood off to the side, talking quietly. The shorter man that she'd half killed was sitting at the table with a dazed look on his face. Fear had him tensing when he saw her and he tried to struggle to his feet.
Hermione snatched Draco's wand and dropped it into her cuff before lifting her pale wand to point it at the stranger. "Password for the Manor," she demanded.
"Adversis Fortes," he mumbled, brown eyes wide with alarm.
"He was in the ballroom. Middle of the house, has double doors," the taller man spoke for the first time, something like regret in his eyes.
"Mione what are you doing?" Harry spoke from behind her, his voice painfully gentle. It grated on her, making her want to lash out at him.
"I'm going to get him, Harry. Whatever there still is of him, I'm not leaving him there." Her voice shook but she took off around the table, heading for the remains of the door. There was a moment of hesitation before several sets of footsteps followed her, crunching over the broken glass and wood.
She paused in the apparation area, the realisation that she had no idea where she was going crashing down on her. Her breath caught and her nails dug into her palms as she tried to calm herself. She just needed to do this, just this last thing for him before she could fall apart. She needed to see with her own eyes that he wasn't coming back.
A warm hand curled around hers and carefully pried her stiff fingers open. She blinked up at Severus, not sure where he had come from.
"I will lead Ms. Granger. I know where the Manor is." His deep voice was careful as he gripped both her and Harry and took a deep breath before he pulled his magic around them and took them away.
They landed on the edge of the wards of a large Manor, the house clearly visible from the gate. It loomed, all brick and dark windows, ivy crawling over the facade, its bushes overgrown and pushing shiny leaves through gaps in the fencing.
The crack of their apparation was still echoing across the grounds when Hermione strode past him, her face set and wand clenched in her fist. She snapped out the password to drop the wards, the one the Jones had given her in a groggy voice, still confused and in pain from his trip through the back door.
The large metal gate swung wide, spitting them out onto the winding drive, loose gravel rolling under Harry's boots. His wand was in his hand and his magic had already reached out to twist around Severus, something that had become almost second nature whenever he felt threatened. The crunch of their footsteps was the only noise, the oppressive darkness seemed to muffle everything as they walked past what had once been stately gardens.
Hermione moved at a near run, making Severus and Harry jog to keep up. Tonks and Lupin had both taken up the rear and kept pace while shooting guarded looks around the empty grounds. Hermione reached the front door steps ahead of Harry and ducked through the door before he could catch her, making him hiss a soft demand to slow down.
Severus lit his wand as he came in behind Harry, neither of them willing to light the candles throughout the house in case anyone was still there. They hurried through the halls as quietly as they could, heading for where Sig had told them the ballroom was. Harry let go of the faint irritation that Hermione running off had caused and very briefly promised himself that he would stop doing the same thing to everyone else.
Harry rounded a corner and drew to an abrupt halt, Severus cursing softly when he almost crashed into Harry. Hermione was standing completely still in front of a set of heavy double doors, frozen. Her wand was raised, the tip lighting up the grain of the wood and the warmth of the stain. There was a darker brown mark on the floor behind her, blood long since dried.
Harry stepped forward, not sure what to say but needing to do something, to help her in some way.
"Don't," her voice was rough as she shook her head. "I can't. Not now. I need…" She trailed off and drew in a deep breath, her brown eyes cold as she flicked her wand and unlocked the doors.
Harry felt like they should have creaked as they opened, should have made some sort of ominous noise to give some indication of what hid behind them but they didn't. They opened on well oiled hinges and revealed darkness, broken only by flickers of dementors as they crowded close to the barrier.
"Expecto Patronum"
All five voices blended as they called their patronuses to them. The dementors fled, shrieking in their strange hollow voices as the glowing silver animals chased them back.
Harry stood still for a moment, letting his eyes adjust after the sharp white of his patronus left spots dancing in his vision. The great wings of his raven battered at the dementors and the huge beak tore slashes in their robes as it chased them to the height of the ceiling. He peered into the gloom left behind, trying to make out anything other than blobby shapes.
A body was in the middle of the floor, completely still and facing away from them. Hermione was through the barrier and on her knees beside it before Harry could blink. Her long hair had come loose sometime during her last argument with the two Aurors and it wreathed her, showing glimpses of the terror she felt. Her face flashed with relief as she glanced up and shook her head at Harry. The other one then, Jugson.
Harry knew he had to be dead, not just soulless. It had been weeks and his body couldn't have survived without water. Severus silently leaned over and placed a portkey on his chest, activating it with a quiet word and sending the body to Grimmauld. They'd find an appropriate place to bury him.
Harry glanced around the room but couldn't see anyone else, just a stack of chairs and tables along the back wall, almost blocking a door. Maybe Malfoy had gotten out through there?
Hermione was already moving toward it, her strides stiff as she shifted furniture out of her way with neat flicks of her wand.
Something reflected brightly for just an instant before a chair started to obscure it and without thinking, Harry brought his wand up to halt the movement. He squinted, trying to make out what was behind the stack of furniture in the far corner, away from the door.
His brain made sense of it an instant too late, just as a horrible broken sound came from across the room. Hermione was running, her wand forgotten as she clawed through the chairs to get to the head of white blonde hair that had caught the light from Harry's wand.
"No no no no no no.." he could hear the plea in her breathless words as he followed behind her, her hands landing on the still body before he could pull her away. Harry reached forward to do something, to pull her back or wrap his arms around her, he didn't know he just wanted her to stop making that awful noise. A sharp crack sounded as Harry's hand came in contact with a shield, magic leaping out to snap across his knuckles like a whip of electricity.
Harry yanked his hand back, pushing Severus a step away as he did. He'd never seen Hermione lose control of her magic and it surprised him, it made everything more real.
Draco was curled on his side, facing away from them. His blonde hair was dirty and smeared with blood, his robes torn and stained. He had pulled his legs up tight to his chest and wrapped his arms around them, but his arm must have fallen loose after…
Harry pulled in a sharp breath, trying to get a hold of the grief that was threatening. He might not have liked Malfoy but the last year of working with him and getting to know him better had tempered their animosity. Hermione and Severus both caring for him had left Harry in the interesting position of trying to actually get along with him. Some part of Harry had always assumed that even if they all died during the war Malfoy would make it. He was too much of a git to die.
Hermione was stroking his hair and murmuring something he couldn't hear. He didn't want to. He didn't know what he would do if it were Severus lying still and cold on the dirty floor of an abandoned Manor.
Harry turned to Severus, trying to give Hermione some kind of privacy, to find the other man's face pulled tight with grief as he gazed at the still form of his godson. Harry shifted to wrap his arms tightly around him, hating that he couldn't make this better, that he couldn't make Draco stand up and snark some stupid quip at him.
The room fell silent until the only thing Harry could hear was Severus' sharp painful breaths and the incomprehensible words that Hermione was whispering to what was left of the man she loved.
"Shit," the sound came from behind them, Lupin's voice harsh over the curse. Harry looked up in surprise, expecting to find the room filled with Death Eaters or dementors descending from where they were pinned to the ceiling. Instead, Remus stood very still, his eyes gone the sharp gold of his wolf as he stared at the still body on the floor.
Suddenly he was moving past them, his eyes raking the floor and his movements nearly frantic. Before Harry could ask him what was wrong he froze and slowly stooped to pick something up off the floor. He brought it to his nose and drew in a deep breath, his shoulders and the line of his back tight.
Harry turned to Severus in silent question, but he looked just as puzzled. The air in the room was warmer than it had been but musty and Harry could feel a sneeze tickling the back of his throat.
Remus spun toward them, his abrupt movement making Harry jump. His eyes were blown wide and reflected the lights from their wands in an eerie way that made Harry think of dark woods and flashing teeth. He had a nearly manic look on his face when he pushed past them to get to Hermione. As he passed he shoved what Harry could now see was an empty potions bottle into Severus' hand. Severus gave him a baffled look but followed suit and brought it to his nose.
Severus froze, something like hope flying over his face before he locked his expression down. He followed Lupin and knelt down just outside of Hermione's shield. She was paying no attention to any of them and had kept up her low murmur and gentle stroking, her fingers catching in the tangles of dried blood in his pale hair.
"Severus, what's going on?" Harry asked quietly as he knelt with them on the floor. This close he could see the profile of Draco's face and winced at the greyish pallor of his skin.
"He's not dead. She needs to let go of him and let us get him to Grimmauld," Severus answered, his tone distracted as he evaluated the situation in front of them.
"Severus… I don't think…" Harry trailed off, not sure how to respond. He eyed the still form on the floor and couldn't make out anything that resembled life. "Are you sure, love?" Harry finally asked, trying to keep the doubt from his tone.
That brought Severus fully around, his eyebrows arching high in surprise. "Yes," he said, his confidence clear. He was still looking at Harry oddly but eventually turned back to try and speak with Hermione.
"Ms. Granger, you need to let go of him. We can help him, he's not dead," Severus was saying with a surprising amount of gentleness, something that he very rarely allowed anyone but Harry to see.
She didn't seem to hear him, she was so lost in her own grief. Harry's stomach tightened as he remembered how it had felt when Sirius had died. Nothing could reach him through his pain and rage.
"Right then," Harry muttered before he reached forward and pulled Lupin back. Remus went without a fight, giving Harry a puzzled look but letting the younger man take his place beside Hermione.
Harry raised his wand and gritted his teeth before sending the awful flashing orange spell that Ron was so fond of through her shield. He tied a low powered stupify to it and winced when Hermione stiffened and fell over on top of Draco. Silence fell around the room as everyone stared at Harry.
"Did you just turn them orange?" Tonks sounded like she was trying to suppress hysterical laughter.
Harry glared through the gloom at her. "It's not my fault that the only spell that we've found that can get through a shield is one that colours everything."
"It can get through any shield? And you can tie things to it?" Remus sounded interested as he joined his wife, giving Severus room to levitate Hermione while Harry lifted Draco.
Harry grimaced. "So far we've only found a few things that we can work into it. Stupify is the most useful, and it won't go through any shield. Only lower strength ones."
Harry followed the group as they hurried out of the Manor, leaving the dementors to the now empty room. The stiffness of Severus' stride was no longer one of fear but impatience. Something in Harry relaxed at that and he let himself feel the first stirrings of hope.
"Severus, how is he alive?" Harry asked softly as they descended the front steps and hurried toward the edge of the wards.
"Draught of Living Death," Severus answered shortly. "It will take several days for me to brew the antidote." For the first time since Remus had handed him the potion vial, he looked uncertain. "We can only hope that it worked."
Harry swallowed, not understanding how that could have saved him from dementors but trusting that Severus knew what he was talking about.
Harry and Severus handed over Draco and Hermione to the other two, letting them side along one person each so no one would be forced to carry three. They disappeared in quick succession, until only Harry and Severus were left, the cooling September evening wrapping around them.
Severus took Harry's arm, ready to apparate them home, but hesitated for a moment. He looked down at Harry, his expression oddly uncertain before he bent and gently pressed his mouth to Harry's.
Harry allowed himself a moment of shock before he kissed him back. Severus never instigated and Harry hadn't expected anything of the sort after the last few weeks. A warm hand lacing through the hair at the nape of his neck derailed his thoughts and he slid his arms around the taller man, for a moment letting go of all of the complicated shit that life had handed them and just let himself hold his partner.
He finally pulled back, giving Severus an uncertain look.
Severus looked terribly uncomfortable but drew himself up. "I know that we have much that is unsettled between us but I need you to know, in case…" he trailed off, the same haunted look on his face that had been there when he'd seen Draco.
Harry wanted to reassure him, to tell him that nothing was going to happen to either one of them and they would make it through the war and buy a cottage in the middle of nowhere and live the rest of their lives dodging the twin's pranks and Molly's pointed questions about grandchildren.
Instead, he simply nodded. He knew their chances weren't good.
Severus pulled him closer and tilted his head back, his eyes fixed on the spread of glittering stars above them, as if even now, after everything they'd been through he could only tell his truths to the cold of the sky.
"I love you." His deep voice was quiet in a way that Harry had never heard and it made something in his chest tie itself impossibly tight. Harry let his arms close on the thin waist and dropped his head to Severus' chest, listening to the frantic beat of the other man's heart.
Harry nodded against his chest, trying to keep the overwhelming feelings of love and panic from crawling across his skin. "We're going to make it out of this," he said instead, nearly chewing on his tongue to rein in his emotions.
He could feel Severus nod against his head but he didn't relax. Harry pulled back and frowned at him. "We are. We're both going to live and you're going to spend the rest of your life growing things in our garden that try to eat me and blowing up our basement and I'm going to spend mine irritating you into eating and letting you put me back together after I fall off a broom or do something particularly stupid."
Severus looked at him with something like shock before stroking a shaking hand through Harry's hair, a desperate hunger filling his eyes. "I suppose that would be satisfactory," he said, his voice shaking.
They stood in silence for a moment longer, something shifting around them. Harry knew that he would still have trouble with Severus' past, but there was nothing that the other man could do about it. It was Harry's problem, Severus was already doing everything he could to never be that person again. If Harry wanted him he had to accept all of him, even his mistakes. Merlin knew Harry had made enough of them, even if they weren't at the caliber that Severus had managed. Besides, Harry had come to realise that no matter how unhappy he was with what Severus had done, it would never come close to how much Severus hated himself for it.
Harry gave him a small smile before grabbing him a little tighter and spinning them away.